Clarke says sorry after Norwich defeat

13 May 2013 02:07

Steve Clarke had to apologise for Albion’s 4-0 battering by Norwich City after thousands of Baggies fans had made the long trip east.

Baggies fans held their traditional end of the season party at Carrow Road with the majority wearing fancy dress outfits.

But Albion’s players made them look more embarrassing after a shocking performance in which that Baggies failed to muster a shot on target in the first hour.

Norwich, needing a victory to secure their Premier League status, took the lead in the 25th minute. A terrible error by Ben Foster let Grant Holt roll in a second before Gareth McAuley headed into his own net. Jonny Howson then scored an excellent fourth goal for the Canaries.

“It was our worst performance of the season by a considerable margin,” said Clarke.

“We're going to hurt for a few days. “I can only apologise to the fans. “We really appreciate the supporters' efforts. They've come a long way and spent a lot of money getting here. “We've let them down today. “We're going to work really hard on the training pitch this week and get back to basics. “Everyone will hopefully see a different West Bromwich Albion next week." He added: “You don’t think that’s going to happen to you and your team. “We’ve been terrific this season – today we were the opposite. “It’s a blow to us because that’s not a normal performance for West Bromwich Albion. “We worked the same as we have all season. “We prepared for the game as we always prepare. “The performance in midweek against Manchester City was good. “The performance at home to Wigan was a performance that should have got us something from the game. “Today, we were nowhere near it. “It was Norwich’s day, not ours.”